kthorne@umich.edu
This is a large quilt, about 56 X 56. It hangs on my sewing room wall. 2004
There are more quilts to view, see sidebar for categories.
The stems, flowers, and sky are all my hand-dyed fabric. This one is 16″ by 28″.
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I started this one around July 4. I was thinking of how to add a patriotic message to my piece, without it being In Your Face. Decided on black and white patterns for the background. I wrote the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence with black ink on a white background, and then cut it up to use in various spots with other black and white patterned fabric.
A couple of detail shots so you can see the writing better.
One of my favorite quilt artists, Sue Benner, has recently done a series of art pieces with a 25 square grid. They are terrific. I decided to try one myself. I already had many scraps in both red and green from other quilt projects. I was reminded that red and green (on white) were very typical color combinations historically in the quilt tradition. Here’s a modern version! 24 x 24″
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Back by popular demand… ! Another still life. I’ve already got the next one in my head. Maybe not with plaids and stripes. We’ll see. This one is 27 x 23 inches.
This piece (43 x 43″) grew out of a demonstration I did for the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild. The technique is called free-form cutting. I’ve done several using this technique, which is fun and liberating. This photo is a pale version of the real colors, unfortunately. I’ll try and do better on my photography. I called it Fruit Circles because of the cherry pattern in the dark red fabric.
I always like to use some plaids, if the piece calls for it. I have quite a collection. This “still life” is inspired by so many fine art still lifes (lives?) over hundreds of years. Many featured both flowers and fruit. Like mine. I intend to do some more of this type. It’s just fun to do and look at. The flowers and fruit are fused onto the background and then quilted down.
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This one is almost identical in design to the “featured” quilt at the top of my blog, which I am now calling Dappled Sunlight: Autumn. The spring weather recently (although absent for some days now) inspired me to get out the greens and yellows. It is hand-quilted in a big stitch, just like its sister piece. They are both 25 by 38 inches in size. It contains commercial fabrics, hand-dyes, and some hand stenciled/painted fabrics.
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Last summer I took a class on “making” fabric–by which the teacher meant take plain fabric and paint/stamp/stencil/etc. to embellish it. I did this recently using a credit card (not my current one!) dipped in black paint to make marks on muslin. I knew I wanted to use the new fabric for a birch bark effect. I think it turned out well. I still have some of the fabric, so I may do another birch piece some time. The “snow” layer in this one is pieced triangles in white/neutral colors. The border is an Australian fabric that I thought conveyed a windy day.
The Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild is a sponsor of SafeHouse Center of Washtenaw County. SafeHouse provides free and confidential services, including shelter, for those who live or work in Washtenaw County impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault. In 2019, the Guild donated more than 300 quilts to SafeHouse. Each person who stays at SafeHouse has one of these handmade quilts on their bed, and takes it home with them. We know that these quilts not only make a comforting welcome for stressed individuals and families, but as a reminder that the community cares about them and their future.
We recently heard from SafeHouse that their supply of quilts was down to 20! Time for many us to get cracking and fix that problem. I had several partially finished quilt tops, and got the batting and backs ready to quilt them. Finished two in about 8 days. Each SafeHouse quilt donated has a label attached. In addition to the Guild logo the label contains this message: “Made especially for you because we care.”
Just delivered them today. Other Guild members have already sent in over a dozen and I’m sure there are more to come.
This one is actually a nice chambray blue, but it shows here as grey.
On this one I quilted some words (Joy, Happy, Play, Fun) and some hearts and the year 2020.
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This little piece uses some of my hand-dyed fabrics. After I got the background, stems, and leaves in place, I decided to add stitching around each leaf. I like that effect.
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